Thunder/Warriors and Lakers/Warriors Open Thread

With four games left to go, the Warriors have no margin for error. Any observer of the last decade has to count Monday’s match-up as more likely a loss than a win, unless Popovich decides to play with four men just to see if his team is up to the challenge. That leaves the Thunder and Lakers games as must-wins, to preserve the necessary 1-game lead over the Rockets — and with it, the sixth spot in the West. The Warriors have been able to motivate for top tier opponents before. If they can’t find a way to get up for these games, quibbling over playoff positioning is the least our concerns.

In the midst of these crucial games, I’m unfortunately on the road with limited internet access. I’ll try to catch up and may sneak in a post if I can, but I wanted to make sure there was a place for the conversation to continue. (Chris L is unfortunately unavailable as well, or he’d be here with his usual insight). I’ll be back to cover the final two games of the season next week — and the playoffs to follow (hard to express how great it feels to write that). The Warriors have a lot to celebrate with their accomplishments this year, but it’ll all be for naught if they let up now. The playoffs might as well start with Thursday’s statement game against the Thunder and Friday’s golden opportunity to destroy the Lakers’ playoffs hopes. Did the Warriors rise to the challenge or buckle under unfamiliar pressure? As always, drop your thoughts below.

Forgive me if this has been posted here.
It also brings up a good point that why no reply on Jack’s stepout of bound call?
it’s within the last minute of the game, could not MJack inquire one camera review?

Dubcakes

Whoever is going to tonight’s game from SF – remember there is an A’s game against Houston in Oakland….so start if you come from SF

http://s Coltraning

@believe

If we tie Lakers they get it regardless. They won the season series against us. At least with a little help from the referee friends

@ET

My son is the exception to that rule! But I hear you my favorite teen is the song teen town by weather report… I got to hear Jaco Pastorius, got to hear Wayne shorter, and got to hear weather report. However I never got to hear this group with Pastorius and Wayne shorter together. Enjoy!

That is a good question on Jack stepping out of bounds. Is that a kind of play that can be reviewed? I know they can review who the ball went off up when it goes out of bounds. But can they review whether or not somebody actually stepped out of bounds? I see no reason why not, since they can review whether or not a shot is a two or three pointer. If they could review it, I am disturbed that they didn’t. However, in a game where the officiating was clearly rigged I don’t think they would have reviewed the play. The coach cannot demand a review, ultimately it is up to the referees whether or not they decide to review a play. Just one of the many things that needs to be fixed in the NBA. Who knows? Maybe Adam Silver will be an improvement in that regard.

I do agree with some that Jackson could be more assertive. He doesn’t need to get technicals, but he is awfully passive at times in the face of some pretty bad calls. It probably is just not a part of his nature. I don’t remember, did he ever get technicals as a player?

http://s Coltraning

@Dub

Thanks for the kind words about my letter. I doubt it will even get a response, but you have to speak up sometimes, speak a little truth to power so to speak, even in NBA games.

Stephen Curry has owned this spot a lot this year and that’s a testament to his value to the team. His performance against the Lakers on April 12 was nothing short of brilliant. But sadly, his 47 points simply weren’t enough.

Nonetheless, he is the Golden State Warrior of the week His scoring and playmaking continue to be sensational as evidenced by his averages of 31 points and 8.7 assists per game on 50 percent field goal shooting and 46.7 percent 3-point shooting in the last three contests.“

believewhat

col,

“They won the season series against us.”

Guess, reality didn’t sink in for me yet, thought we tied the season series with them.

believewhat

Would spurs lose 2 games in a row, unlikely. Dubs have a tough game today. Hope, coach read the game early and rest starters if we are not going to win. We would need to win the 04/17 game against Portland.

believewhat

Regarding Kobe injury, Mike D once commented this on Lin:
—
D’Antoni was asked after the game if he’d keep on using Lin so much.

“Oh yeah,” D’Antoni responded, with a smirk. “I’m going to ride him like freakin’ Secretariat.”
—

Didn’t Lin get injured last year and now Kobe. I guess being secretariat to Mike D does take toll.

JanG

bry:

Thanks for the Curry stats. Truly amazing.
Just got me thinking – some day, many years from now, many of us will be speaking to our grandchildren and retelling tales of perhaps the best shooter the NBA has ever seen!
Feel free to embelish.

This one will go to the final night of the season. The Rockets have the tiebreaker, so they’ll get the better seed if the teams have the same record over their last two games. Houston is on the road at Phoenix tonight and against the Lakers on Wednesday. Golden State hosts San Antonio tonight before finishing Wednesday in Phoenix. Simulation gives the Rockets a tiny edge in those games, although the motivation for the Spurs and possibly the Lakers remains in doubt.

Oh, by the way, don’t count the Lakers out of this race just yet. If Houston loses Monday, the Lakers could pull even with a head-to-head win Wednesday that also would give them the tiebreaker. And if Golden State loses out, the Lakers could still conceivably finish with the sixth seed, believe it or not.

JanG

bw:

They would have shot Secretariat!

believewhat

JanG,

He can’t drive

JanG

bw:

Either can Kobe!

believewhat

BTW, Lakers will save 85 millions if they amnesty Kobe. Waiting for that to happen.(Confession, I hate Kobe and lakers for exactly the reason that we lost last game).

believewhat

Bryant’s injury has one bad ramification for Warriors. Lakers will probably resetting in 2014(not original idea, Larry Coon’s), if so they will be competing with Warriors for free agents and prospects. Only warriors will have better team.

http://RodneyKing PWW

Our seeding maybe a secondary issue if Bogut can’t stay on the floor, and don’t think he has shown the ability to do exactly that. I don’t see the big guy going through two rounds of divisional playoffs, and a conference final, and then making it to the championship game, even if the Warriors could pull it off. His body just can’t hold up to the grind of extended rounds of play.

Myers and company has some hard questions to answer, do they put their trust in Bogut’s full return to health, or go in a new direction?

Is there a future with Bogut as our big man? Nothing so far supports that thought process, perhaps we package him with a draft choice and try to get a reliable big man.

To me there are more questions than answers right now, as far as our 5 position goes.

Dubcakes

This just in…No Parker, Leonard, & Duncan @ tonight’s game….:)

sartre

From the Ball Don’t Lie:

“Just days after releasing Stephen Jackson from his playoffs-bound team for what he deemed “a basketball decision and a family decision,” Gregg Popovich benched Tony Parker for much of the fourth quarter of the Spurs-Lakers game on Sunday night. Was this to protect Parker from injury going into the postseason? Another act of progressive minutes management on the part of Pop? Was he trying to keep Parker fresh for what will no doubt be a brutal Western Conference campaign? Was Parker nursing an injury? “He’s totally healthy. It wasn’t because he was resting, he was playing awful.” Never change, Pop.”

Thoughts and prayers to the people taken/injured by the Boston Marathon explosions… sad day.

http://4points(five) jsl

Mr Mully: I second that emotion.

deano

NC Dub: Thanks.

believewhat

Mully, with you on boston. Cowards, who ever is responsible.

El Topo

Steve,

Thanks for posting dubs vs. Spurs game. Was going to do that but you beat me to it. My recollection was that we did rather well against them this year — even won one! So was interested in looking back.

Simmons is excited by it and rates the Dubs a chance behind Steph Curry’s stellar form but Lowe dismisses it as the least interesting first round series as he expects the Spurs to win it with reasonable comfort even if Parker is only 90%. Lowe thinks as good as the Dubs can be offensively that their defense is not consistently good enough to challenge the Spurs.

NCDub

jsl–#403:

As I said earlier…KT was “stupendous” as you said; Good post & glad we have him; BTW…580 posts…oops…good grief…are we blog/Dub junkies…am I becoming one too?

NCDub

#496-bry:

Right on with Klay & Bogut–since I agree does that make me a follower?; Anyway…I saw what you saw & it was nice; Help we do need a big like Bogut if he’s relatively healthy–next year’s #1 objective must be another big…in case…….

NCDub

Oops…meant bry #406…can’t keep track of all these postings.

NCDub

I’m a new guy…so, what does “word” mean?; I was said to have merited one & I’ve seen others!

Airbus

One of the things that gets me a little frustrated is how when people talk about Curry in particular and compare him to other players, they’re often not comparing Curry to the actual player, just that guy’s best moments.

Take that Lakers game. I think anyone would agree that the game mattered more to the Lakers than it did the Warriors. I give Kobe a lot of credit for hitting those 2 threes over Barnes. I also don’t fault Barnes’s defense on either play. He was where he was supposed to be. Greaet players hit those shots. That said. In a huge game for his team, Kobe had 5 turnovers and even though his 9-21 was respectable in the end, up until the 4th quarter it was pretty ugly.
The guy also hit 2 free throws with the game on the line and a torn achilles.

But 5 turnovers, really ugly shots, having the 2 Warrior guards I assume he was guarding at least some of the time put up 72 points?

Believe it or not, I saw Michael Jordan miss shots and turn the ball over with the game on the line. Part of the legend was his scorigng 63 points against the Celtics in a playoff game. It’s just that no one much mentions that the Bulls lost that game 135-131.

Ray Allen is a candidate to be one of the greatest outside shooters ever. I’ve seen him stink it up shooting open 3’s in some big big games, like try game 7 of the final against the Lakers when he was a Celtic.

47 points with 9 assists and 1 turnover. It doesn’t matter when those plays happened during the game. They were playing in a big game on someone else’s court with the refs calling everything the wrong way. On the play to Landry, Curry executed his part. He put the ball in the right spot at the right time on the play the coach called. He’s not the guy who missed the shot.

Very very few guys who aren’t in the hall of fame or who won’t be in the Hall have ever had a game like that. In fact, I can think of one non Hall level Warrior who had that kind of game and that was Sleepy Floyd also against the Lakers. I suppose there may have been a game where Monta did something like that, but he just didn’t play in many games either in the playoff or with the playoffs on the line.

sartre

NCDub, you need to get out more or learn to use google “Word” is a popular term for underscoring that another person has said something you strongly agree with.

Airbus, I think that in any other game – one which Kobe never got seriously injured and the Lakers staved off possible playoff elimination – there would have been much more national media celebration of Curry’s brilliant game (particularly its first half). If he had sunk that last shot, won the game, and scored 50 points they would have struggled to juggle the two opposing hero narratives. Then again, maybe it would have acted as a dramatic juxtaposition.

admoney

Pop is smart.

Apparently, trying to keep up with these young Dubs can be dangerous for aging superstars.

But if we get them in the playoffs (which looks likely), we’re going to have to watch another old fellow with a history of absolute domination over Golden State battle the inexorable march of time.

Hey Duncan, to every thing there is a season, and this is your season to lose finally to the Warriors. Don’t fight it. You might hurt yourself.

deano

With Bogut and Duncan out, we may be teated to lots of D’Juan Blair vs. Ezali or Green. Sumo fans rejoice.

believewhat

deano,

I was thinking Blair too. Amazing that Pops already working on longevity of Kawhi Leonard who he apparently identified as their long term future. I am wishing that dubs get Blair over off season to replace Landry when he most likely bolts. Ofcourse dubs don’t have enough dough but you never know.

BTW, anyone knows what has gotten into Jeremy Tyler. In 3 D League games, he is averaging nearly 30 ppg at 70%FG and having a very good stinct this time around. Can we get him back for minimum, may be next year is his year.

believewhat, not sure Blair gets paid much. The sustainability of his knees is still a question mark, his production has dropped over the past two seasons (part of the reason he has been used less), and he currently has legal troubles.

Can it be said….PHUCK NBA.com and blackouts of games that I pay to watch ….that are blacked out because the are on some obscure channel somewhere….. when will these leagues figure out that a web telecast is legit… not everyone has cable access….. asspolsz

sartre

Simple solution bullship, live elsewhere in the world and subscribe to internal league pass No blackouts and you can watch live or replay any game whenever you want on a variety of devices.

sartre

Oops, “international” not internal league pass.

Grizzley

Ok. How about opening a new thread. Nearing 600 comments. Too much to scroll through.

Coltraning

Last minute
At game
Good seat
If Ws can’t beat an SA team minus Duncan/Parker/GINOBILI at home, all is lost

Grizzley

Not sure why Jack is in the game right now.

sartre

Enjoy Curry’s dancing wizardry out there, col.

Grizzley

In the playoffs (and now), if Jack is in, Curry should be resting. Jack thinks he’s of Steph’s caliber but, well no.

El Topo

Sartre,

Didn’t know a thinh about Aron Baynes…turns out he’s a Kiwi.

Grizzley

The WarriorS: To Live And Die by the jumper. Die by the turnover, and the easy strolls to the rim that ALL teams get against them.